Occupational surname for a maker of casks and barrels — barrel maker. One of the trade surnames that became American first names in the 1980s.
Cooper ranks 27th among American boys in 2025, with 7,653 born that year. Its best year was 2025, when 7,653 babies were given the name, ranking 27th. The typical living American called Cooper is about 12 years old today. It is relatively most common in Vermont, where it accounts for 1.19% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.